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SEPT-ÎLES, October 17, 2017 – The international cruise season in Sept-Îles was capped, on October 2, by an impromptu visit from the RMS Queen Mary 2. With pig roasts, chainsaw wood sculpting, traditional Innu and folk dancing, Innu tea time, artisans, folk singers, bonfires and marshmallows, a classic car show, and a recycled metal sculpture exhibition, there was plenty to see and do this year at the cruise ship dock.

The season got underway early in the summer with the arrival of two ships: the Seven Seas Navigator (Regent Seven Seas Cruises) and the MS Insignia (Oceania Cruises). In September, the MS Marco Polo (Cruise & Maritime Voyages) and the MS Saga Sapphire returned to Sept-Îles for a third and second time, respectively.

In July, the Port of Sept-Îles also hosted RDV 2017 in collaboration with Destination Sept-Îles and Tourisme Sept-Îles. Over 15,000 people came down to the port on a beautiful sunny weekend to visit the magnificent tall ships and join in the fun.

In total, five separate cruise ships and seven tall ships, carrying some 8,000 passengers and crew members in all, were treated to the Sept-Îles experience. The visitors came mostly from the U.K. (75%), the United States (20%), Australia (2%), and Asia (2%). The extended tourist season was a boon for local attractions and excursion companies like Musée régional de la Côte-Nord, the Vieux-Poste, Musée Shaputuan, Boutique Agara, and Croisières du Capitaine.

A SIZEABLE CHALLENGE

The 2017 season ended with a bang. Prompted by the newly lowered speed limit in the Gulf of St. Lawrence, the prestigious RMS Queen Mary 2 booked a stopover in Sept‑Îles with only two weeks’ advance notice. The entire community jumped into action to welcome the surprise visitors. In an eloquent demonstration of skill and determination, every player in Sept‑Îles’s tourism industry rose to the stopover city’s biggest challenge to date.

Over 80% of the passengers and crew members onboard the colossal ship came ashore to enjoy the many excursions and activities on offer. The cruise ship passengers were particularly won over by the throng of locals who gathered on the dock to welcome them as they arrived. The passengers left with a smile on their face and a tale to tell of the fabulous hospitality in Sept‑Îles—a coup that is sure to boost the city’s reputation abroad! In what was, for many, the highlight of the day, famous navigator Mylène Paquette was on hand in Sept‑Îles for a historic reunion between her boat, the Hermel, and the RMS Queen Mary 2, four years after they first crossed paths in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean.

The intrepid ocean rower gave a moving talk onboard the ship in front of a crowd of over 500 passengers and spent the entire afternoon mingling with locals and cruise ship passengers at the Sept-Îles marina—the Hermel’s home port. Ms. Paquette hopes to be on hand for subsequent visits of the RMS Queen Mary 2 to Sept-Îles; a first is already scheduled for September 28, 2018.

“Everyone sprang into action for the Queen Mary 2’s unexpected visit,” said Port of Sept-Îles, president and CEO Pierre D. Gagnon. “It’s the kind of community where people roll up their sleeves and get right to work. We rose to the challenge and created some truly memorable moments. The people of Sept‑Îles are famous for their hospitality and this was no exception. We’d like to thank everyone, near and far, who contributed their time, their services, their equipment…. Everyone really went above and beyond and made the day a huge success. The cruise industry provides an incredible opportunity for the community to come together and promote this beautiful region and the warmth and spirit of the people who live here.”

THE END OF A STAND‑OUT SEASON

Together with its partners, Destination Sept-Îles Nakauinanu (DSIN) is already planning for the 2018 season, which should see a significant increase in cruise ship stopovers. Building on the growth plan adopted at the start of the year, DSIN expects to double the number of passengers and crew members welcomed to the shores of Sept‑Îles in a single season next year.

ABOUT DESTINATION SEPT-ÎLES

Destination Sept-Îles Nakauinanu is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to promote Sept‑Îles as a stopover tourist destination with international cruise lines.

ABOUT THE PORT OF SEPT-ÎLES

Boasting diverse, state-of-the-art facilities, the Port of Sept-Îles is one of North America’s largest ore-handling ports, with an annual volume of close to 25 million tonnes. The port facilities at Sept-Îles play a vital and strategic role in the economy of Eastern Canada. Annual economic impacts are estimated at nearly $1 billion and almost 4,000 direct and indirect jobs.

Sources:

Marie-Eve Duguay, Executive Director
Destination Sept-Îles Nakauinanu
meduguay@portsi.com | 418-961-1228

Patsy Keays, Director, Corporate Affairs
Port of Sept-Îles
pkeays@portsi.com | 418-961-1235

SEPT-ÎLES, le 10 avril 2017 – Le Port de Sept-Îles se réjouit de l’annonce d’hier, lors d’une conférence de presse tenue à la Pointe-Noire, de l’entente entre le gouvernement du Québec et les deux sociétés minières Tata Steel Minerals Canada et Minerai de fer Québec inc., une filiale de Champion Iron Limited, ayant conduit à la création d’une société en commandite s’appuyant sur le modèle multi-usager mis de l’avant par le Port en 2012 pour la construction du quai multi-usager. Rappelons que ce modèle novateur de financement impliquant le partage des coûts entre de multiples partenaires fut alors reconnu comme une première au pays dans le financement des infrastructures portuaires.

Tel qu’expliqué lors de la conférence de presse, par monsieur Robert Sauvé, président-directeur général de la Société du Plan Nord, la structure d’entente qui s’appliquera aux installations de la Société ferroviaire et portuaire de Pointe-Noire permettra dorénavant le partage des couts d’opération et d’investissement selon les volumes de manutention réservé par chacun. Elle s’appuiera sur les principes multi-usager élaborés dans le modèle du Port et permettra ainsi l’arrivée de nouveaux usagers.

« Le Port tient à reconnaitre le leadership du gouvernement du Québec dans la mise en place de ce modèle d’affaires novateur qui crée en Amérique du Nord un terminal de manutention et d’entreposage unique de par sa composition et sa mission multi-usager, » de déclarer monsieur Pierre Gagnon, président-directeur général du Port de Sept-Îles.

À PROPOS DU PORT DE SEPT-ÎLES

Disposant d’installations diversifiées et efficaces, le Port de Sept-Îles est l’un des plus importants ports minéraliers en Amérique du Nord avec un volume d’activités de près de 25 millions de tonnes annuellement. La présence des infrastructures portuaires de Sept-Îles joue un rôle vital et stratégique en support de l’économie de l’est du Canada. Son rayonnement a été évalué à tout près de 4000 emplois directs et indirects avec une activité économique annuelle de près de 1 milliard de dollars.

Source :
Patsy Keays
Directrice, Affaires corporatives
Port de Sept-Îles
pkeays@portsi.com
418 961-1235

SEPT-ÎLES, September 14, 2017 – RMS Queen Mary 2 will be berthed at Sept-Îles from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., October 2, following updates to the ship’s itinerary by Cunard Cruise Lines in response to speed limits recently brought in for the west section of the Gulf of St. Lawrence.

The Port of Sept-Îles understands the exceptional challenges cruise lines are facing at the present time, and we unhesitatingly agreed to the last-minute request from our distinguished guest, whose first official visit to Sept-Îles had been announced for September 2018.

The people of Sept-Îles and all Destination Sept-Îles Nakauinanu partners will be called on more than ever to provide their habitual warm welcome to our very special visitors. If you’re interested in taking part in this special day in any capacity, please let us know at dsin@portsi.com.

ABOUT THE QUEEN MARY 2

The RMS Queen Mary 2 isn’t just one of biggest ocean liners ever, it’s the acknowledged queen of them all. It was recently renovated and has a capacity of 2,600 passengers in addition to a crew of 1,250.

• Tall as a 23-storey building
• Length of 4 football fields
• Gross tonnage of 151,400 tons
• 345 metres long
• 40 metres across

Technical information of Queen Mary 2

Source:
Marie-Ève Duguay
Executive Director
Destination Sept-Îles Nakauinanu
meduguay@portsi.com
418 961-1228

SEPT-ÎLES, July 21, 2017 – The Port of Sept-Îles is delighted that Société ferroviaire et portuaire de Pointe-Noire (SFPPN) has retained local contractor Groupe G7 to build the conveyor that will link the multi-user dock to SFPPN storage facilities. This local contract, a $15 million investment on the part of SFPPN, is in keeping with the agreements stipulating that users of the multi-user dock are responsible for linking it to their storage facilities.

This new regional infrastructure project follows on the December strategic agreements between SFPPN and the Port of Sept-Îles setting out the terms and conditions for priority construction of the conveyor.

As the instigator of the multi-user approach and partner with SFPPN from day one, the Port will cooperate in every way possible to ensure the project is delivered on time so that loading operations can start at the multi-user dock before the end of the year.

“We’d like to acknowledge the Québec government’s leadership in helping ensure that the contract benefits the region by going to a local company. Government investments at Pointe-Noire in recent years show that Québec is attentive to the region’s needs and realizes the importance of supporting the iron mining industry,” said Pierre Gagnon, CEO of the Port of Sept-Îles.

ABOUT THE PORT OF SEPT-ÎLES

Boasting diverse, state-of-the-art facilities, the Port of Sept-Îles is one of North America’s largest ore-handling ports, with an annual volume of close to 25 million tonnes. The port facilities at Sept-Îles play a vital and strategic role in the economy of Eastern Canada. Annual economic impacts are estimated at nearly $1 billion and almost 4,000 direct and indirect jobs.

Source:
Patsy Keays, Director, Corporate Affairs
Port of Sept-Îles
pkeays@portsi.com
418 961-1235

SEPT-ÎLES, January 17, 2017 – The volume of cargo handled at the Port of Sept-Îles increased 1% in 2016 to 23 million tonnes compared with 22.7 million tonnes in 2015. Mining company IOC Rio Tinto increased its shipments with 18.6 million tonnes in 2016 versus 17.8 million tonnes the previous year. And Tata Steel Minerals Canada shipped 1.6 million tonnes in 2016 compared with 2.3 million in 2015.

The year in review

2016 could not have got off to a better start with the Superior Court of Quebec approving, on February 1, the Port of Sept-Îles’s transaction to acquire part of the land owned by the Wabush mining company as part of proceedings initiated by Wabush under the Companies’ Creditors Arrangement Act (C-36). The acquisition of this vast tract of land (407 hectares) allowed the Port to increase the space available for development near its three port facilities—the Pointe-Noire dock, the Relance dock, and the new multi-user dock.

In the same vein, the Quebec government, along with Société ferroviaire et portuaire de Pointe-Noire (SFPPN), became a new Port user and partner by acquiring all of the mining company’s other assets covered by the sale procedure under the same law. As a result, in December the Port and SFPPN signed important, strategic long-term commercial agreements to develop the full potential of Pointe-Noire now and into the future.

Additionally, the City and Port of Sept-Îles confirmed work would continue for the environmental observatory for the Bay of Sept-Îles thanks to a new financial partnership involving Société du Plan Nord, the Port of Sept-Îles, the City of Sept-Îles, and other Sept-Îles industry members to complete Phase III.

Another highlight of the year was the resumption of shipping from the Pointe-Noire dock in the fall with the loading of three iron ore vessels, two for SFPPN and one for Tata Steel Minerals Canada. These shipments marked the beginning of a new era for Pointe-Noire.

With the difficult conditions that arose in the iron market in 2016, the Port of Sept-Îles had to deal with lower revenue and take every step to limit its operating and investment costs, as well as its community assistance program.

“With the year ending with the signing of agreements with SFPPN and iron’s price recovery in the last weeks of 2016, we can view next year much more positively and with more excitement than the previous year,” said Port of Sept-Îles president and chief executive officer Pierre D. Gagnon. “With these new, more favorable conditions, the Port intends to work closely with its partners—Développement économique Sept-Îles, the Chamber of Commerce, and Société ferroviaire et portuaire de Pointe-Noire—to back all future economic diversification initiatives the region needs.”

ABOUT THE PORT OF SEPT-ÎLES

Boasting diverse, state-of-the-art facilities, the Port of Sept-Îles is one of North America’s largest ore-handling ports, with an annual volume of close to 25 million tonnes. The port facilities at Sept-Îles play a vital and strategic role in the economy of Eastern Canada. Annual economic impacts are estimated at nearly $1 billion and almost 4,000 direct and indirect jobs.

Source:

Patsy Keays
Director, Corporate Affairs
Port of Sept-Îles
pkeays@portsi.com
418 961-1235

Sept-Îles, January 9, 2017 – The M/V AM Krakow, a Marshall Islands registered vessel, sailing from Ghent, Belgium, was the first ship to arrive in Sept-Îles this year, at 3:50 a.m. on January 1, 2017. The vessel arrived empty and docked on January 8 at IOC Rio Tinto dock Nº 2. It will set sail again today with 78,580 tons of iron ore destined for Ghent, Belgium.

During a short ceremony, Mr. Pierre D. Gagnon, President & CEO of the Port of Sept-Îles, as well as Mr. Thierry Martel, Chief Operations Officer of IOC Rio Tinto and Mr. Maurice McClure, Vice President, Finance and Strategy, presented Captain Maini Ashish with the prestigious cane bearing the Port of Sept-Îles insignia.

This tradition, now in its 30th year, marks the arrival of the first ship of the year to call the Port and highlights the importance of the maritime industry for our region’s economic activity. To be eligible, the vessel must come directly from a foreign Port and be bound for a destination outside the country without making any other calls at a Canadian Port.

ABOUT THE PORT OF SEPT-ÎLES

Boasting diverse, state-of-the-art facilities, the Port of Sept-Îles is one of North America’s largest ore-handling ports, with an annual volume of close to 25 million tons. The port facilities at Sept-Îles play a vital and strategic role in the economy of Eastern Canada. Annual economic impacts are estimated at nearly $1 billion and almost 4,000 direct and indirect jobs.

Source:

Patsy Keays
Director, Corporate Affairs
pkeays@portsi.com
Port of Sept-Îles
418 961-1235

 

• Pierre D. Gagnon, President & CEO, Port of Sept-Îles;
• Shardul Kumar, Chief Engineer, M/V AM Krakow;
• Maurice McClure, Vice President – Finance and Strategy, IOC Rio Tinto;
• Captain Maini Ashish, M/V AM Krakow;
• Thierry Martel, Chief Operations Officer, IOC Rio Tinto.

SEPT-ÎLES, December 7, 2016 – The Port of Sept-Îles (PSI) is pleased to announce the signing of long-term commercial agreements with its new partner and client, Société ferroviaire et portuaire de Pointe-Noire (SFPPN).

These agreements are important to both parties because their objective is to develop the full potential of Pointe-Noire, today and into the future.

As organizations committed to meeting market needs through a multiuser approach, PSI and SFPPN have incorporated the following key elements and principles into the agreements signed today:

• Use of SFPPN loading equipment on PSI’s Pointe-Noire wharf
• Considerations for the work required to link the ore storage areas with the facilities on the multi-user dock
• Use of the land containing the storage and handling facilities built in 2010 by Consolidated Thompson
• Considerations for meeting the future maritime shipping needs of various mining projects in the Sept-Îles region and the Labrador Trough

For PSI, the arrival of SFPPN as a new owner and client marks the beginning of a new chapter. This constructive new framework allowed the parties to hold discussions leading to innovative and beneficial agreements that will ensure Pointe-Noire infrastructure is accessible and available for every opportunity.

PSI also wishes to recognize the innovative approach taken by the government of Québec in establishing SFPPN as a limited partnership model, which will be joined by potential partners from the mining and other industries to share the use and operating costs of the facilities.

“With the iron market in recovery mode and our region in need of diversification projects, these agreements come at the perfect time to give our mining industry a shot in the arm,” said Pierre D. Gagnon, the Port’s CEO.

ABOUT THE PORT OF SEPT-ÎLES

Boasting diverse, state-of-the-art facilities, the Port of Sept-Îles is one of North America’s largest ore-handling ports, with an annual volume of close to 25 million tons. The port facilities at Sept-Îles play a vital and strategic role in the economy of Eastern Canada. Annual economic impacts are estimated at nearly $1 billion and almost 4,000 direct and indirect jobs.

Source:

Patsy Keays
Director, Corporate Affairs
pkeays@portsi.com
Port of Sept-Îles
418 961-1235

Sept-Îles – Monday, November 14, 2016 – Destination Sept-Îles Nakauinanu assesses once again a positive 2016 international cruise season.

This season’s highlight was the city’s first double-ship day – having received the Crystal Serenity and Silver Whisper simultaneously last September 26. This decisive day marks a major milestone in Destination Sept-Îles Nakauinanu’s history. For the first time, the port of call was tasked with the challenge of operating two sites at once and providing for some 2,500 passengers and crew members who were able to see all that Sept-Îles has to offer.

The logistical challenge proved to be a thorough success that drew positive feedback from both the tour operators and members of the industry. Greatly responsible for this overall achievement was the incredible synergy shown by all partners for this historical turning point which sends a strong message to the industry and paves the way for new business opportunities in the future.

In total, 4 cruise ships cumulating 4,319 passengers and crew members were welcomed throughout a season marked by an important increase in the disembarkation rate. First to moor at Sept-Îles’s Cruise Berth was the now-accustomed Marco Polo, whose 2015 festive overnight stay still fills the city’s residents’ imagination to this day. Last but not least, the Silver Whisper returned to Sept-Îles following a previous stop during September’s double-ship day and thereby rounded off the season.

2017 looks just as promising for Destination Sept-Îles Nakauinanu, which in addition to welcoming a steady number of passengers and crew members during the year, will also celebrate its 10th year of operation. Both the Oceania Insignia and Seven Seas Navigator will call Sept-Îles for the first time, whereas the Marco Polo and Saga Sapphire will renew their trust by returning to the port of call and completing the season. The 2017 season also represents a pivotal year for the organization as it is preparing itself to receive none other than the prestigious Queen Mary II the following year. By calling Sept-Îles during its 2018 itinerary on the St. Lawrence, Cunard pledges its trust in the destination and confirms the city’s place among the river’s top ports of call.

Source

Vincent Roy-Bérubé
Acting Executive Director
Destination Sept-Îles Nakauinanu
dsin@portsi.com
Tel : 418-968-1231 Ext : 234
www.destinationsept-iles.com